cleaning old coins?

id10t · 07-28-2008, 01:26 PM

I have a few pre-civil war american coins (and some just after WW1 euro stuff, and a 1812 half penny - netherlands I think) and I need to clean them up.

No, not remove tarnish, etc. but actually clean them. They've been stored in an old box, then another old box, then an old bedside table, then I got them. And promptly stuck them in yet another old bedside table box that was a stash box of mine from high school, so there is dust, dirt, ashes, etc. all over them. No stuck on grunge or anything though...

So, I want to remove dust, dirt, etc. but NOT scrub them, bring the finish back, etc. (I know thats a BIG no-no).

I assume just some running water and finger rubbing would be OK, then dry completely by patting with super absorbent paper towel?

Also, anyone know where to find values on the euro coins? Every coin collecting value reference I can find is for US coins, nothing euro. And I'm sure these 1917 marks, francs, etc. are worth something...

slodave · slodave's Garage

Old German currency is not worth much. Better to keep for kids, grand kids....

MRM · 07-28-2008, 01:34 PM

There really isn't anything you can to do clean them in any way shape or form that won't degrade the coin and reduce the value. Literally anything you do to them will cause wear. Rinse them off, but that's it. Don't even rub them with your fingers. Paper scratches, so don't use a paper towel to dry. Use a clean cotton cloth, and don't rub when drying, either. A professional might be able to do something with them, but that's best left in their hands.

I can't help on the value. Sound like great keepsakes, though. Were they from an ancestor who brought them back from WWI?

HardDrive · 07-28-2008, 03:14 PM

Been cleaning the same set of Roman coins by hand........for a year. Starts off fun, then quickly degrades into drudgery.

id10t · 07-28-2008, 04:50 PM

MRM - grandpa got the euro stuff while traveling thru there in the early/mid 20s. The old US stuff came from Las Vegas slot machines at some point ...

I also have a late 1800s silver dollar... had one long ago, gave to mom to put in a safe place, she promptly forgot where that was... While she was traveling in China a few years ago, she found one (only a year or so off) in a flea market and paid about 25cents for it... I've weighed it, etc. and it ain't a fake.

As for saving for the kids, etc. well, I have many other more interesting collectables for them... like one of the last 356s made (#222522, production stopped at 222580), a set of 1932 olympic medals (grandma was the sec. to the gm for the '32 LA games), etc.

Thinking I'd like to sell the coins to purchase the daughters First Rifle.

slodave · slodave's Garage

It's going to take a LOT of coins to purchase a rifle. Non of the currency is worth much. I found a little info in early French Francs.

3.2 CAB · 07-28-2008, 04:56 PM

I know that some people use an ultra-sonic jewelery cleaner to clean old coins. You might want to look into this method, but I am not sure that I would use any kind of solvents or soaps in it, probably would get fair results with just clean water.

m21sniper · 07-28-2008, 05:41 PM

Would a steam cleaner work?

id10t · 07-28-2008, 05:57 PM

Just rtfm'd some more... on a coin site of all places!

Running water, *clean* fingers for friction only, dry on cotton. I don't have many to do, and due to previous storage they are far from fantastic...

Daughters first rifle will be a cheap single shot 22 (she's still too small to shoot the FAL, but she likes the 1911), so under $100 should do it (nice to have a friend with FFL)... I'm thinking the old US silver is my best bet, either as coin or as spot... (I've got 20 or so silver dollars and 50c pieces from just before/during WW2 as well)

Jims5543 · 07-28-2008, 06:00 PM

Ketchup!

Try one and see it takes about 1 hour.

3.2 CAB · 07-29-2008, 10:18 AM

Yep, Ketchup works as does Coca-Cola, and several other food items that have citric, phosphoric, or acetic acids in there make-up. Even the box of Arm & Hammer powder will clean as well, but it is a Base, instead of being an acid.

But... he was just wanting to remove dirt and grime, not the natural patina that forms on a lot of metal coins, due to various reasons.

jrdavid68 · 07-29-2008, 10:29 AM

I might be interested in the US stuff. I would not be interested if they have been cleaned.

Having said that, if you can provide me the dates and mint marks, I could give you an idea for a value range.

Normy · 07-29-2008, 11:07 AM

Put about a teaspoon of salt in a cup of lemon juice, stir until the salt disolves, and then dip the copper coins in this for about a minute. They'll come out perfectly clean.

N

Eric 951 · 07-29-2008, 11:36 AM

I recently received a mercury dime as change at a mall pretzel store--dated 1944--worth anything? (hijack over)

jrdavid68 · 07-29-2008, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric 951

I recently received a mercury dime as change at a mall pretzel store--dated 1944--worth anything? (hijack over)

$1.00 - $1.20 retail unless it's in really really nice condition (and hasn't been cleaned). Retail for an uncirculated example would be more like $6.00.

Pazuzu · 07-29-2008, 01:34 PM

So...as a coin noob...why not clean it? Does cleaning it really do damage to the surface/detail, or is it that people now want their collection of old coins to look old?

jrdavid68 · 07-29-2008, 01:39 PM

The following is from: http://www.mycoincollecting.com

The first rule of coin cleaning is: If you don't know its value, don't clean it, or if you think it is valuable, don't clean it, or if you know it is valuable, don't clean it. In other words, do not clean your discovered coins; leave them untouched and stored in proper holders. The reason for this is that coin dealers and collectors are interested in purchasing coins in their original condition and natural state of preservation.

For example, never clean coins with commercial jewelry and metal polishes or silver tarnish remover, which will remove the toning that normally collects over time on copper and silver coins. Removing tarnish often harms coins, leaving small spots, scratches, or pockmarks that can significantly diminish their numismatic value by up to 90 percent! Statistically, nearly 20 percent of coins shown to coin dealers are rejected because they were improperly cleaned, polished, or their toning was chemically enhanced. Remember, you cannot unclean an improperly cleaned coin.

Pazuzu · 07-29-2008, 01:50 PM

So strange...

So, I stumble across a barnfind 1969 911S, with a bag full of 1912 pennies inside. I need to do a significant wash job on the CAR to make it valuable, but I need to keep those pennies stuffed in that rotten burlap sack to keep THEM valuable.

sure...makes perfect sense

I'm being sarcastic, obviously. I can understand why some patina is important.

MRM · 07-29-2008, 01:59 PM

It's not the patina that is important, it's the surface of the coin. The condition of the coin is what makes it valuable. The most valuable coins are "mint" - meaning they are in the same condition as if they were freshly minted. In reality, even newly minted coins don't reach this level. The minting process leaves marks, so "mint" coins are specially issued by the mint.

Next comes uncirculated. This means a coin that is fesh from the mint, and only has the flaws in it that come from the normal minting process. After that comes various levels of wear, down to "very good" (pretty bad) and finally "good" (meaning you can barely tell what year and value it was.

Any cleaning will degrade the surface. Collectors most highly prize coins that have never been used and still look new, but they would prefer a coin with a patina on it but no wear to the surface, rather than a clean and shiny coin that has wear on it. Once the patina is on the coin, you lose more value by cleaning the coin than you gain by making it shiny. It's hard to make the coin clean or shiny again without removing a bit of the surface of the coin.